Kevin Kline Returns To The Stage In NY

And soon the actor will tackle what many believe is Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, “King Lear.”

The production, directed by James Lapine, begins preview performances Feb. 9 at the Public’s Anspacher Theater. No opening and closing dates for this limited engagement have been set, Public Theater spokesman Sam Neuman said Monday.

Kline, an Academy Award winner for his work in the film “A Fish Called Wanda,” has extensive stage credits including Tony-winning roles on Broadway in “On the Twentieth Century” and the Public’s revival of “The Pirates of Penzance.” He most recently appeared for the Public last summer in Tony Kushner’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” starring Meryl Streep, in Central Park.

Lapine is best know for his work with Stephen Sondheim on such musicals as “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods” and “Passion.” He also has written such plays as “Table Settings” and “Twelve Dreams.”